WATERBURY, CT - Tonight, former State Representative Elizabeth Esty was elected as the next Congresswoman for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. Initially considered an underdog candidate, Esty built a strong grassroots organization to turn out the vote in both a hard-fought primary and a hard-fought general election. Volunteers for the Esty campaign made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to voters across the 5th District and knocked on tens of thousands of doors.

Esty thanked her supporters at a campaign celebration in Waterbury. “It’s hard to believe that this grassroots movement began as an underdog campaign with a staff of one and my kitchen table for a campaign office,” Esty said in her remarks to supporters. “Through all the twists and turns of this election, we never lost of sight of our goal – to bring common sense to Washington. Twenty months, tens of thousands of doors and hundreds of thousands of phone calls after we started, we’ve earned a victory. And we’ve earned this victory because of you. Thank you for everything you’ve done to make tonight possible. I’m humbled by your hard work for our campaign and by your commitment to our cause.”

Esty also called for Democrats, Republicans, and independents to work together following the hard-fought campaign. “Now that the election is over, we share the responsibility of building a better future together,” Esty said.

“We don’t have a choice on this. The challenges facing America are not Democratic or Republican. It is now our responsibility to work together to find common ground.”

Esty will succeed current 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy on January 3, 2013. Murphy has served as the 5th District’s Representative since 2007.